Screening energy involving electrons of remote atoms in photoelectric and Auger transitions

Abstract

The difference in kinetic energy between Auger electrons and photoelectrons from atoms of an element is a function of the atomic environment. Chemical shifts in this parameter are a measure of the change in polarizability of the environment, which contributes to screening of the final state in these transitions. Comparison of this parameter for covalent molecules in gaseous and solid states demonstrates a significant role in this screening by neighboring condensed molecules, outside the immediate electronic system of the molecule containing the ionized atom. In the molecules tested, SF6, SO2, and CS2, the extent of remote screening for a singly charged ion was 1–2 eV.